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Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies Level 1 (Notes)
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]
Hartford Life Insurance Company (together with its subsidiaries, “HLIC,” “Company,” “we” or “our”) is a provider of insurance and investment products in the United States (“U.S.”) and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hartford Life, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("HLI"). The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (“The Hartford”) is the ultimate parent of the Company.
During the first nine months of 2016, the Company paid dividends of approximately $750 to its parent. As a result of this dividend, the Company has no ordinary dividend capacity for the remainder of 2016.
The Company has ceded reinsurance in connection with the sales of its Retirement Plans and Individual Life businesses in 2013 to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company ("MassMutual") and The Prudential Insurance Company of America ("Prudential"), respectively. The Company's obligations to its direct policyholders that have been reinsured to MassMutual and Prudential are secured by invested assets held in trust. Net of invested assets held in trust, as of September 30, 2016, the Company has no reinsurance-related concentrations of credit risk greater than 10% of the Company’s consolidated stockholder's equity.
The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information, which differ materially from the accounting practices prescribed by various insurance regulatory authorities. These Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in the Company's 2015 Form 10-K Annual Report. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year.
The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes are unaudited. These financial statements reflect all adjustments (generally consisting only of normal accruals) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods. The Company's significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company's 2015 Form 10-K Annual Report.
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]
tford Life Insurance Company (together with its subsidiaries, “HLIC,” “Company,” “we” or “our”) is a provider of insurance and investment products in the United States (“U.S.”) and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hartford Life, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("HLI"). The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (“The Hartford”) is the ultimate parent of the Company.
During the first nine months of 2016, the Company paid dividends of approximately $750 to its parent. As a result of this dividend, the Company has no ordinary dividend capacity for the remainder of 2016.
The Company has ceded reinsurance in connection with the sales of its Retirement Plans and Individual Life businesses in 2013 to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company ("MassMutual") and The Prudential Insurance Company of America ("Prudential"), respectively. The Company's obligations to its direct policyholders that have been reinsured to MassMutual and Prudential are secured by invested assets held in trust. Net of invested assets held in trust, as of September 30, 2016, the Company has no reinsurance-related concentrations of credit risk greater than 10% of the Company’s consolidated stockholder's equity.
The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information, which differ materially from the accounting practices prescribed by various insurance regulatory authorities. These Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in the Company's 2015 Form 10-K Annual Report. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year.
The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes are unaudited. These financial statements reflect all adjustments (generally consisting only of normal accruals) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods. The Company's significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company's 2015 Form 10-K Annual Report.
Consolidation
The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Hartford Life Insurance Company and entities in which the Company directly or indirectly has a controlling financial interest. Entities in which the Company has significant influence over the operating and financing decisions but does not control are reported using the equity method. All intercompany transactions and balances between HLIC and its subsidiaries and affiliates have been eliminated.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with U.S. GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
The most significant estimates include those used in determining estimated gross profits used in the valuation and amortization of assets and liabilities associated with variable annuity and other universal life-type contracts; evaluation of other-than-temporary impairments on available-for-sale securities and valuation allowances on investments; living benefits required to be fair valued; valuation of investments and derivative instruments; valuation allowance on deferred tax assets; and contingencies relating to corporate litigation and regulatory matters. Certain of these estimates are particularly sensitive to market conditions, and deterioration and/or volatility in the worldwide debt or equity markets could have a material impact on the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period financial information to conform to the current period presentation.
Adoption of New Accounting Standards
On January 1, 2016 the Company adopted new consolidation guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB"). The updates revise when to consolidate variable interest entities ("VIEs") and general partners’ investments in limited partnerships, end the deferral granted for applying the VIE guidance to certain investment companies, and reduce the number of circumstances where a decision maker’s or service provider’s fee arrangement is deemed to be a variable interest in an entity. The updates also modify guidance for determining whether limited partnerships are VIEs or voting interest entities. The new guidance did not have a material effect on the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Future Adoption of New Accounting Standards
Financial Instruments - Credit Losses
In June 2016, the FASB issued updated guidance for recognition and measurement of credit losses on financial instruments. The new guidance will replace the “incurred loss” approach with an “expected loss” model for recognizing credit losses for instruments carried at other than fair value, which will initially result in the recognition of greater allowances for losses. The allowance will be an estimate of credit losses expected over the life of debt instruments, such as mortgage loans, reinsurance recoverables and receivables. Credit losses on available-for-sale (“AFS”) debt securities carried at fair value will continue to be measured as other-than-temporary impairments (“OTTI”) when incurred; however, the losses will be recognized through an allowance and no longer as an adjustment to the cost basis. Recoveries of OTTI will be recognized as reversals of valuation allowances and no longer accreted as investment income through an adjustment to the investment yield. The allowance on AFS securities cannot cause the net carrying value to be below fair value and, therefore, it is possible that increases in fair value due to decreases in market interest rates could cause the reversal of a valuation allowance and increase net income. The new guidance will also require purchased financial assets with a more-than-insignificant amount of credit deterioration since original issuance to be recorded based on contractual amounts due and an initial allowance recorded at the date of purchase. The guidance is effective January 1, 2020 through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings for the change in the allowance for credit losses for debt instruments carried at other than fair value. No allowance will be recognized at adoption for AFS debt securities; rather, their cost basis will be evaluated for an allowance for OTTI prospectively. Early adoption is permitted as of January 1, 2019. The Company has not yet determined the timing for adoption or estimated the effect on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.